Nathan Chilton, the partner of Coronation Street and I'm A Celebrity star Sair Khan, thought he would die after undergoing major surgery to remove part of his pelvis. The 39-year-old from Stockport was diagnosed with chondroblastoma, a very rare non-cancerous bone tumour, in 2013 after complaining of groin pain.
Diagnosis and Initial Surgery
An MRI scan revealed a squash-ball sized lesion, which was initially removed. However, years later the tumour returned, necessitating much more extensive surgery. In 2022, Nathan underwent an internal hemipelvectomy, an eight-hour operation that involved removing 75% of the right side of his pelvis and replacing it with a titanium plate.
During the surgery, he lost so much blood that he wondered if he would survive. "I thought it was lights out," he said. "It was a very unreal place to be." He spent three weeks at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham and, after the operation, had to retrain how to walk.
Complications and Spread
His ordeal was not over. Following the surgery, he was told the tumour had spread to his lungs. The nodules on his lungs are now said to be stable, and there has been no recurrence in his pelvis. "Living with a benign bone tumour has been an absolute rollercoaster," added Nathan, who has a two-year-old son with Sair, who plays Alya Nazir in the ITV soap.
"Multiple surgeries, a lot of physical and mental pain, and even more uncertainty. But I've learned that you don't have to let your struggles define you. Rather they help create a better version of you. Adversity and obstacles create character, develop resilience and give you skills that are transferable in all areas of your life. Don't get me wrong, it’s been a tough ride, but it’s made me who I am today."
Facing Challenges and Hiking for Charity
Nathan, a chiropractor originally from Derbyshire, was also diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes in 2018. He said he began hiking as an 'outlet' and that it 'changed [his] perspective on life'. He is now set to take on the Peak District Ultra Challenge, a gruelling 75km trek, on July 4 and 5. He will be raising funds for Sarcoma UK, a charity that supports people with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that starts in the soft tissue. Even though Nathan’s tumour was not classed as a sarcoma, he went through the same medical route as many sarcoma patients, involving the same specialists, scans, and major operation.
"I want to bring hope and inspire people who have had surgery," he said. "This walk is about showing what’s possible after all of that. Not just for me, but for anyone facing something similar. I want to show my son that limitations are the ones we put on ourselves and that mindset is everything."
Support from Sarcoma UK
Sarcoma UK’s Support Line Adviser, Carly McDonald, said: "Nathan's story is really extraordinary. His experience, the surgeries, the uncertainty, the sheer determination to rebuild his life, mirrors what so many of the people we support go through every day. The fact that he's now walking 75km on a pelvis that is largely titanium is just remarkable. At Sarcoma UK, we're incredibly grateful that Nathan has chosen to raise funds for us, and we know his story will bring real hope to patients and families facing similarly daunting diagnoses."
